1998 Kentucky Wildcats football team

1998 Kentucky Wildcats football
Outback Bowl, L 26–14 vs. Penn State
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Division	Eastern Division
Record	7–5 (4–4 SEC)
Head coach	Hal Mumme (2nd season)
Offensive coordinator	Mike Leach (2nd season)
Offensive scheme	Air raid
Home stadium	Commonwealth Stadium (Capacity: 55,453)

1998 Southeastern Conference football standings

	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
Eastern Division
No. 1 Tennessee x$#		8	–	0					13	–	0
No. 5 Florida  %		7	–	1					10	–	2
No. 14 Georgia		6	–	2					9	–	3
Kentucky		4	–	4					7	–	5
Vanderbilt		1	–	7					2	–	9
South Carolina		0	–	8					1	–	10
Western Division
Mississippi State xy		6	–	2					8	–	5
No. 16 Arkansas x		6	–	2					9	–	3
Alabama		4	–	4					7	–	5
Ole Miss		3	–	5					7	–	5
LSU		2	–	6					4	–	7
Auburn		1	–	7					3	–	8
Championship: Tennessee 24, Mississippi State 14
# – BCS National Champion $ – BCS representative as conference champion % – BCS at-large representative x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Rankings from AP Poll

The 1998 Kentucky Wildcats football team represented the University of Kentucky in the 1998 NCAA Division I-A football season. Quarterback Tim Couch was the first pick overall in the 1999 NFL Draft.

Season

Couch led Kentucky to seven wins, including a win on the road at #21 LSU and a spot in the 1999 Outback Bowl, where Couch completed 30 of 48 passes for 336 yards and two touchdowns, though Kentucky lost to Penn State, 26–14. In the Kentucky–Louisville rivalry, the Wildcats beat the Cardinals to claim the Governor's Cup. In the Border Battle, Tennessee beat Kentucky by a score of 59–21 to claim the Beer Barrel.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 5	3:00 PM	at Louisville*		Papa John's Cardinal Stadium Louisville, Kentucky (Battle for the Governor's Cup)	FSN	W 68–34	42,643
September 12	1:30 PM	Eastern Kentucky*		Commonwealth Stadium Lexington, Kentucky		W 52–7	57,776
September 19	1:30 PM	Indiana*		Commonwealth Stadium Lexington, Kentucky		W 31–27	57,788
September 26	3:30 PM	at No. 8 Florida	No. 25	Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Gainesville, Florida	CBS	L 35–51	85,011
October 3	6:00 PM	at No. 22 Arkansas		War Memorial Stadium Little Rock, Arkansas	ESPN2	L 20–27	55,782
October 10	7:00 PM	South Carolina		Commonwealth Stadium Lexington, Kentucky		W 33–28	57,739
October 17	9:00 PM	at No. 21 LSU		Tiger Stadium Baton Rouge, Louisiana	ESPN2	W 39–36	80,524
October 24	12:30 PM	No. 11 Georgia		Commonwealth Stadium Lexington, Kentucky	JPS	L 26–28	57,838
November 7	6:00 PM	Mississippi State		Commonwealth Stadium Lexington, Kentucky (rivalry)	ESPN2	W 37–35	57,760
November 14	1:30 PM	Vanderbilt		Commonwealth Stadium Lexington, Kentucky (rivalry)		W 55–17	57,521
November 21	12:30 PM	at No. 1 Tennessee		Neyland Stadium Knoxville, Tennessee (Battle for the Barrel)	CBS	L 21–59	107,252
January 1	11:00 AM	vs. No. 20 Penn State*		Raymond James Stadium Tampa, Florida (Outback Bowl)	ESPN	L 14–26	66,005
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

Roster

1998 Kentucky Wildcats football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class QB 2 Tim Couch Jr	Defense Pos. # Name Class	Special teams Pos. # Name Class	Head coach Hal Mumme Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt

1999 NFL Draft

Player	Position	Round	Pick	NFL club
Tim Couch	Quarterback	1	1	Cleveland Browns